NL Central

NL West

Now Commenting On:

No word yet on Sarfate's status

No word yet on Sarfate's status

Email

Print

By Spencer Fordin
/
MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- The diagnosis can wait another day. Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said Monday that he doesn't have any updates on reliever Dennis Sarfate, who was placed on the disabled list Sunday. Sarfate, who has an undisclosed circulatory problem in his pitching arm, could be lost for the foreseeable future.

Trembley wouldn't make any guesses as to the right-hander's prognosis on Monday, preferring instead to wait until the doctors have read all his tests. Sarfate came down with numbness in his right middle finger during his last outing and said Sunday that he believes the sensation was caused by a blockage in his upper bicep.

Now, Sarfate and the Orioles are trying to determine the best course of action for both the player and team.

"He's getting further tests done at Johns Hopkins and they're also waiting for the tests that were done in Canada to be sent to Baltimore so they can be read," said Trembley. "I don't know if the tests were mailed, e-mailed, Fed Ex-ed. The things that were done in Canada have not been received yet at Johns Hopkins and by the doctor or doctors that are following up on Sarfate. I wouldn't expect to know anything until tomorrow at the earliest."

With that said, the early returns don't seem promising. Sarfate, who had surgery on his right collarbone last winter, said that the doctors won't know the extent of the ailment until after he's gone through an angiogram. That's the test Sarfate's waiting on now, and Trembley promised to limit his comments until he knows more.

"The safe thing to say would be we won't know anything further until they gets the results of the tests and they conclude all the tests they're going to do on him," said Trembley in full spin mode. "For me to say anything different than that, I'd be speculating. And I don't really know that much about his condition."

Trembley also dealt with a minor bump and bruise Monday, when he elected to sit outfielder Lou Montanez. Montanez, who sprained his right thumb over the weekend, appears to be close to returning to action. The youngster was even in the lineup on Monday, but Trembley pulled him a few hours before game time.

"His hand is still swollen," said Trembley. "So I would say it's day-to-day with him."

Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.